# enough to make the angels weep

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/enough-to-make-the-angels-weep
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.

## Examples

- The destruction of the old forest is enough to make the angels weep.
- Seeing the abandoned animals left behind in the ruins of the city was enough to make the angels weep.
- The sheer scale of the injustice suffered by the innocent refugees was enough to make the angels weep, leaving even the most hardened observers in despair.

## Origin

From a passage in Shakespeare, Measure for Measure...man ,/Drest in a little brief authority,/plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven/As make the angels weep.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.